This invention relates to apparatus for supporting members having fragile or easily damaged surfaces within pairs of vice jaws for machining and/or making mechanical adjustments to such members. More particularly, the invention relates to a system of adapting a pair of traditional steel vice jaws for work which requires resilient gripping of workpieces having delicate surfaces, such as threaded or splined members which are to be contained within the vice jaws without damage to the threaded or splined surfaces.
There are numerous prior art systems for providing resilient contact of workpieces supported within pairs of vice jaws. Most, however, are cumbersome in their utilication and/or are difficult or awkward to manufacture. Most of the devices are of a two piece construction, without interconnections between the two pieces. In cases involving an interconnection between the two separate body portions, the connection is hinged and results in an undesirable pivotal action whenever the body members are moved relative to one another.
Preferably, the action of such an interconnected pair of resilient bodies is linear, and is thus commensurate with the linear movement of the associated pair of vice jaws as the latter move to and from each other. Linear action is not only more easily adaptive to the vice jaw action, but also avoids the imposition of an inherent torque load upon a workpiece during the time a pivotally arranged device is in contact with the workpiece.